Mistwalker Read Free Page A

then gave her a frantic push in the opposite direction.
    “You must hear me. Look . Heed me.” The man who stopped them loosened the knot of his tie, and then he stepped to the side. He slid one hand behind Simone’s vampire mask and tossed it to the pavement.
    He stiffened before her body could form a reaction.
    His glowing gaze widened and stared straight into hers, his lush mouth parted in complete shock. “It is you.”
    Simone pushed Tammy’s stiff body behind her further into the shadows, never once taking her eyes off him. She wasn’t about to attack before she spotted a weakness. “Get away from us. I mean it. We don’t have any money. I promise that you will regret this.”
    He followed her footsteps, his silver gaze locked on hers, resolute. The lamp’s beam swept away the shadows from his face. His neat, long black hair was gathered at the base of his neck by a black ribbon, showing firm, alabaster skin. The hard planes of his face were angular. Terrifyingly gorgeous.
    “I am not after your money, but you…are finally here,” he whispered. The words were gentle with a touch of autocracy. A wide grin split his face, revealing a gleam of white uniform teeth. “You came to me.”
    She reared back. Doubt and unease crawled in her stomach. That was not a normal smile, but he talked like he knew her. She frowned, thinking of the hundreds of martial arts competitors she’d trained with over the years. She met the occasional badass who knew her. But what was with the hallucinating? What had been in their drinks? She rubbed her forehead. Her mind didn’t feel cloudy.
    “Do I know you or something?”
    His sensuous mouth kicked up at the corners. “Probably not, love. However, I know you and that is enough for me .” He kissed her palm before she could stop him. “As you appear in the flesh, so shall you be for an eternity.” He gently curled her fingers over his kiss. “That is my promise to you, and you fulfilled yours by finding me.”
    Heat and anger bloomed in her face. A silky fire trailed where his lips touched her skin, up her arm, and then tingled all the way down her spine. So startled at the electric sensations and how she wasn’t quick enough stop him, she tried to think up a rejection with her hand burning from that single kiss.
    “Don’t touch me. Your face doesn’t ring a bell.” He was obviously another loony; he just didn’t bother to dress like one for the festival. “I’m sure I would have remembered you. You have a very distinctive face. And act.” She yanked back her hand and frowned up at him. “Let us go.”
    His gaze slid to her mouth and stayed there. “The link is unfamiliar with humans,” he confided, pressing a thumb against one of his sharp canine teeth. “If I had known you were here, I would have been waiting to collect, have no fear of that. But I had other matters to attend to. Life and death concerns.” The pale skin crinkled at the corner of his eyes, and his heated gaze returned on the bust of her corset and lazily voyaged over the rest of her costume. “You are more than I have ever envisaged. Perfection. Mortal flawlessness.”
    The conviction in his words made her heart flounder with absolute fear. Something, some warning that she relied on constantly, told her that something momentous was about to happen, and that this man would be the catalyst.
    She clutched the strap of her handbag to better hide her hand reaching inside, then pushed the hair out of her eyes. “I repeat, we’re not interested. Get out of my way before I make you.”
    He smiled, and then to her consternation, he laughed. That laughter echoed in the night, and he threw back his head, then his light gaze pinned to the spot beneath her ear, and his head tilted to the side, curiosity stamping his features. He slid closer, an inch too close for Simone’s comfort. Her breathing picked up.
    “What happened to your neck?” His nostrils flared. “You’re hurt. That’s a scar. Who did